Law & Disorder —

Mixed responses to Google’s 1Gbps fiber play

Ars rounds up the initial responses to Google's announcement that it will …

Reactions to Google's big news have been blanketing our inbox faster than a DC snowfall. To recap: Google will build and run a 1Gbps, fiber-to-the-home network serving several US communities and reaching up to 500,000 people. The network will be "open access," meaning any ISP can use the network to reach end users, hopefully creating vibrant competition.

Here's our roundup of the initial responses to the idea.

Verizon: "The internet ecosystem is dynamic and competitive, and it's delivering great benefits to consumers. Google's expansion of its networks to enter the access market is another new paragraph in this exciting story."

What does that mean? Not much, especially as Google is not yet showing any willingness to work as an ISP beyond a few test-bed projects. Still, it should have some limited effects on competition, hopefully upping pressure on ISPs to roll out faster services. It may also validate the open access Internet model in the US.

NCTA. The cable lobby, obviously seeing the implied critique in Google's project, stresses that it has been investing heavily. "The cable industry has invested $161 billion over the past 13 years to build a nationwide broadband infrastructure that is available to 92 percent of US homes, and we will continue to invest billions more to continually improve the speed and performance of our networks and provide tens of millions of consumers with the best possible broadband experience.”

Free Press. The advocacy group is already using Google's announcement to build pressure on the FCC. "Google’s proposed experiment with building ultra-fast, open broadband pipelines in a handful of communities follows a trail already blazed by Verizon’s FiOS network, which has fiber optic cables capable of speeds comparable to what Google proposes," said Policy Director Ben Scott. "The FCC should adopt these high standards and aspirational goals when it delivers the National Broadband Plan to Congress in March. The National Broadband Plan should chart a course to guide the United States in the near term to universal deployment and adoption of high-capacity Internet infrastructure, and in the long term toward 1 gigabit broadband and beyond."

(If that last line sounded like something from a Pixar film to you, you're not alone.)

"While this is only an initial step, having the possibility of new, non-government subsidized entry into the market of last mile broadband access is good news for competition and all Internet users. We have been locked in a rut for too long about how we expand broadband deployment. Some experimentation and new thinking by truly innovative companies, not just legacy providers, is long overdue and welcome.

"The promise that this new Internet capability would operate committed to robust net neutrality and open access rules is significant. It demonstrates that investment in bringing the Internet to more people does not require compromising the Internet's historic commitment to freedom and openness. Continued investment in broadband infrastructure does not require ending the open access and neutral principles that have allowed content to compete on its merits and new applications and innovations to thrive."

Media and Democracy Coalition. Beth McConnell, the groups's executive director, also sees Google's move as applying pressure on the FCC. "We urge the Commission to embrace in the [National Broadband] Plan many of the commitments Google is making today: networks that are open access, offer symmetrical high-speed, and that involve community input. We are pleased to see the company will abide by the principle of network neutrality, and urge Google to offer services over these networks at prices low-income consumers can afford."

New America Foundation. Sascha Meinrath, while praising Google, points out that high speeds alone aren't enough.

"Google's fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network sets a new standard for speed and transparency," he said. "The network should have open, symmetrical architecture that facilitates high-speed communication for users within the network, including schools, hospitals and the local government and data collection to spur Internet research. The benefits of 1 gigabit-per-second connectivity are not maximized simply by getting data in and out of the community, but by creating vibrant digital commons that supports applications, resources, and communication within the local network."

Google. As for Google itself, the company's top telecom lawyer took to a company blog today to talk up the plan, and he positioned it as a natural followup to several of Google's other recent moves.

"This project will build on our ongoing efforts to expand and improve Internet access for consumers—from our free municipal Wi-Fi network in Mountain View, CA, to our advocacy in the 700MHz spectrum auction, to our work to open the TV 'white spaces' to unlicensed uses," said Rick Whitt.

"In building our broadband testbed, we plan to incorporate the policies we've been advocating for in areas like network neutrality and privacy protection. Even on a small scale, building an experimental network will also raise other important legal and policy issues, from local environmental law to rights-of-way, so we'll be working closely with communities, public officials, and other stakeholders to make sure we get this right."